Where are the Harajuku Girls?

Two trips to Tokyo.

Three stakeouts at Jingu-bashi.

And still no sighting.

Who goes to Tokyo without meeting a Harajuku Girl but me?

I did everything right: Showed up at 10am on a Sunday, showed up the next Saturday (in the rain). I even did a surprise check on the Wednesday in between — figured there might be a make-up session for the lack of show the weekend before.

I figured wrong. Even the security guard at Meiji Jingu next door had no idea why they should clear out every time I turn up.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know. I shouldn't take it personally.

Bah!

For the harmonious co-existence of non-smokers and non-smokers

At first glance, a smoker might find it impossible to survive nicotine addiction in Tokyo.

Smoking on the streets is illegal.

In Asakusa, there are bills and signboards everywhere, constantly telling you not to light up. They even paint reminders on pedestrian walkways. I saw the same message in Roppongi, plastered to the backs of uniformed volunteers, patrolling the streets for people who can't resist a smoke.

Smoking out in the open, is restricted to a few designated areas far between.

Spy a lonely ashtray and you'll spot a smoking area. Or spot a whole troop of smokers and the ashtray must be somewhere in that crowd.

Shibuya is a little more tobacco-tolerant than the other wards of Tokyo. You can tell by the sheer population of ashtrays in the area.

Right next to the Hachiko statue at Shibuya JR Station, there're rows of ashtrays under a standing shelter — weather-friendly paradise for nicotine-starved hobos. Smokers can also find generous breathing space in a little garden at the JR exit of Meiji-Jingumae Metro Station.

Still, Shibuya is by no means smoker-friendly. Where there're ashtrays, there're also not-so-subtle hints that smoking is rude, inconsiderate, outdated — yes, outdated! — fire-hazardous, etc. etc.

So much for the claim that they champion the coexistence of smokers and non-smokers.

Living out of Locker 2053

It's a case of the best laid plans gone awry, the plan being:

A) Leave my luggage in the locker at train station.

B) Hang out with friends.

C) Go clubbing.

D) Grab luggage, sleep over at a manga kissa.

For it to work, first you must have the foresight to carry or wear whatever's essential, on you. Alas, I didn't see past my footwear.

I had on slippers. I know, slippers? But anyway, that night was going to be my one and only opportunity to club in Tokyo and I wasn't going to find out at the door that slippers were a dress code violation.

So, I dragged my poor friend and clubbing buddy Wilson to the lockers with me. Locker 2053 at Shibuya Station. Took out one suitcase, set it on the floor and opened it up in full view of the public.

Dug out my heels and a pair of socks. Sat down on my suitcase and put them on.

I was determined to ignore curious stares. But strangely, I felt none.

Not one passer-by batted an eyelid.

Wilson who's lived in Tokyo for two years, says it's not uncommon to see people living out of the lockers. There's an actress who famously does it and it was documented on TV.

Since then, I've not changed out of the locker or done anything as drastic as that. But I've found it extremely useful for storing my shopping while I walk from retail heaven to retail paradise, holding my luggage when I stay over at a manga kissa and keeping my dirty laundry as I move from one part of the city to another.

Lockers are commonly found at train stations, less commonly around the city. Those at the train stations are typically locked in when the station closes. So check on the station's opening and closing hours before you leave your stuff in.

A mid-sized locker can contain one mini suitcase, one good-sized duffel bad and a big bag of shopping. It costs ¥300 (S$5) per day — with the day ending at midnight.

Some lockers at the train stations accept payment via stored value card: Suica or Pasmo. These lockers operate by touchscreen and there's an option for English instructions. Most lockers however, are coin-operated and they only accept ¥100 coins. So keep those coins handy!

The one time I went clubbing...

¥3,500 (app. S$55) for members and ¥4,000 (app. S$63) for others.

I've never paid so much cover charge in my short but party-excessive life. Drinks are cheap, however: ¥600 (app. S$9) for a good house red, ¥700 (S$11) for a gin-something. The cocktails don't pack in much alcohol. But I've heard it's plenty strong for the Japanese.

We got to AIR round about 12-ish, at the edge of residential Daikanyama, a 15-min walk from Shibuya Station (25-min if you're on killer heels). This cavernous club sits in a basement under Frames, a chic little restaurant that serves a mish-mash of pasta, waffles, cocktails and get this – nasi goreng.

It was the second night of AIR's 8th Anniversary celebrations with Guest DJ Theo Parrish spinning all night. The DJ warmed up the house with muted beats. Once in awhile he would drive a infectious pulse into his sound, drawing coos of appreciation from the crowd. By 4am, old school hip hop found its way into the mix and the music was speeding towards an ecstatic climax.

The crowd was really packing it in by now. The dance floor was superheated with body heat. Sweat saturated the air. It was time to leave.

Manga kissas and their rules, rules, rules!

When you've got nowhere else to go in the middle of the night, a manga kissa is surely the place to go. BUT BEWARE OF THEIR RULES. Take it from me. I had to learn it the hard way...

5am.
Was looking for a place to crash after clubbing in Shibuya, a place with shower facilities would be good. So I tried to check into Manboo in Center-gai. It was full. Bummer.

I went next to Manga Hiroba across the street. No shower rooms, no big deal. I can wait till Manboo has a cubicle for me.

8am.

Back at Manboo. I finally got a cubicle and place to shower. Or so I thought before I found out about:

Rule #1:
To use the shower room, you MUST reserve it ahead of time.

There's only ONE ladies' shower room at Manboo and I expect it's the same with the men's shower. And even if no one's using it, you can't go right ahead to shower. The ever-watchful receptionist will take care that you don't.

And FYI, I made my reservation. There were 8 people ahead of me... and that meant I had to wait 4 hours. Which was a huge pain because:

Rule #2:
You're stuck inside until you check out.

I tried to get out, didn't think there was anything wrong with it. And I got stopped at the exit.

=====================

I learnt a few days later, that not all manga kissas play by the same rules.

A Japanese friend has told me of a manga kissa in the Meguro area, which has more than one shower room. Reservations for the shower room are not needed.

I've also explored a couple of other manga kissas after Manboo and I found Chi•Kou•Raku to be a friendly one.

It's the one at Kaminarimon in Asakusa and it allows you to hang out outside as long as you've settled your bill — something which I did as it was their policy to do so anyway.

Moral of the story? If you simply wanna use the Internet, watch movies, read comics or waste time, then just walk in. But if you're looking to shower or find a more comfortable spot to crash, it wouldn't hurt to scope out the place beforehand.

A good place to begin your research would be www.cafeman.jp

Narita to Tokyo

If you're arriving in Japan via Narita Airport and spending at least two full days running around Tokyo, I recommend that you get Suica & N'EX.

It's a commuter package made available exclusively for foreign passport holders. With it, you get two train tickets: a stored value subway pass (Suica card) and a seat reservation on board the Narita Express (N'EX).

N'EX is a great time-saver. It gets you into metropolitan Tokyo quickly enough. One hour to Tokyo Station, another twenty minutes to Shinjuku Station.

Price-wise you do save though not as much as its website strongly suggests that you do. You save on the N'EX itself. But there are cheaper trains running to and from Narita Airport too.

¥1,000, 75 min – Keisei Limited Express to Ueno Station

¥1,300, 85 min – JR Sobu Line to Tokyo Station

Note that transfers from one line to another inside a station can sometimes mean a long walk. Check out Hyperdia-timetable. It'll tell you how long it takes to get from one station to another, factoring in the estimated time it takes to hike from one line to another.

8D/7N Tokyo: the breakdown

So, I'm back in Singapore. Don't know exactly how badly I've damaged my credit card but I put it at not more than ¥143,000 (app. S$2,250). Yeay!

Major expenses:

S$499 – Northwest Airlines return ticket

¥26,900 (app. S$425) – 3 nights in various business hotels

¥7,200 (app. S$114) – 2 nights in a hostel

¥3,950 (app. S$62) – stays at 4 manga kissas

¥5,800 (app. S$92) – 1-day DisneySea passport

¥4,400 (app. S$70) – Oedo Onsen Monogatari (entrance + sand bath)

¥3,500 (app. S$55) – clubbing (cover charge)

¥8,000 (app. S$126) – commuting around Tokyo, av. ¥1,000/day

¥3,500 (app. S$55) – Suica & N'EX (more on this in my post: Narita to Tokyo)

The season is changing by the day

25ºC, partly cloudy to sunny skies.

That's pretty much what was forecast for the week I'm here. The perfect holiday weather.

But when we're at the cusp of a new season, the only thing we can predict about the weather is that it's unpredictable.

Rain clouds swung by on Tuesday, the day I went to DisneySea. And it poured Wednesday morning. Good thing I was ready for a cold, cold autmn. I brought enough clothes to wear in layers.

But summer came back on Thursday. I'd checked in most of my luggage in the locker at the train station and walked around with my camping gear (was planning to go camping that evening but never made it).

Sweat poured out of pores I never knew I had as I lugged every kilogramme of the dead weight — around Shinjuku, Harajuku and all the way from western Tokyo to the southern tip of Odaiba.

Good thing I ended up at an onsen-themed amusement park there.

Tubs and tubs of bubbling spring water. A 15-minute sand bath. Absolute relaxation.